first base

American  

noun

first bases plural

1. Baseball.

   1. the first in counterclockwise order of the bases from home plate.

   2. the position of the player covering the area of the infield near first base.

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idioms

1. get to first base,

   1. to succeed in the initial phase of a plan or undertaking.

      His suggestions for labor-saving techniques never got to first base.

   2. to engage in petting that goes no further than kissing.

first base British  

noun

1. baseball

   1. the base that a runner must reach safely to score a hit, and the first of the three bases he must reach safely on the way to home plate in order to score a run

   2. the fielding position nearest this base

2. informal to accomplish the first step of an undertaking

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• first bases
  plural

Etymology

Origin of first base

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

first base

Shohei Ohtani leads at designated hitter, Freddie Freeman at first base, Max Muncy at third base, and Andy Pages in the outfield.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

Then, the Dodgers would have had to reconfigure their defense, likely moving first baseman Freddie Freeman to third, catcher Dalton Rushing to first base and Smith behind the plate, forfeiting the designated hitter spot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

He had a diving catch at first base on a line drive from Tronstein in the seventh.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

As the crowd showered Vargas with cheers, Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall glanced over at first base.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

“How about we make third base the part of the fence with the gate? And first base is only the right side of the tree,” I suggest.

From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan